Not Applicable
Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
The present invention relates generally to an article of manufacture in the construction industry and more specifically to a plant-on which is attached to a structure and coated with a cementitious or masonry material such as stucco, plaster, concrete, mortar or adobe.
The use of masonry materials, called stucco, as surface coating for homes and commercial structures is well established, particularly in the sunbelt regions of the United States. Stucco is a finish that can be varied in surface texture and color used in applying the surface coat of stucco. The desire to have a building that is architecturally interesting and pleasing leads to the application of decorative features to the stucco in addition to pleasing surface textures and colors. A wide variety of decorative features are available. To name a few, the features may include simulated quoins, corner stones, stone borders and keystones around doors, windows or garage doors, raised decorations such as medallions, cornices, half columns, column caps, pot shelves, belly bands and brackets. A common decorative addition is the use of a raised belly band or plant-on to accent a building, often by laterally encircling the walls of a building with this decorative relief.
In the relevant art, plant-ons for use as structural enhancements are typically constructed from lengths of wood planks or more recently from polymeric foam materials. Wooden plant-ons are nailed to the side of the building prior to the preparation of the building wall for finish installation. During the preparation for installation the plant-on or plank receives special attention to seal the plank with waterproof paper and to apply metal screen or lath to which the masonry materials adheres. This plant-on is costly in materials and in labor.
Plant-ons made from polymeric foam materials are available in a variety of profiles and lengths. Foam plant-ons are considered superior to wood in being more impervious to water and termite damage but requires special handling during installation and is difficult to customize. Care must be taken during installation of the foam to prevent damage to the visible surfaces of the foam. In addition, fiberglass mesh must be applied by hand to allow adhesion of the masonry materials. Foam plant-ons are also difficult to customize due to the lack of interlocking mechanisms. Stacking and/or widening of foam plant-on becomes increasingly difficult due to the inability to easily attach one foam plant-on to another, thus becoming a two or more person task.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,116 to Bradshaw describes a plant-on manufactured of expanded metal lath. The patent teaches the application of the metal lath plant-on directly to the building wall, or to the building wall with a backing of waterproof paper. This saves labor in that the plant-on may be applied to the building wall after preparation of the flat wall surfaces for installation of the siding. The open metal lath has disadvantages in that it is relatively expensive.
There is a large open volume within the plant-on. The plant-on will fill, at least partially, with the masonry material as it is applied which may cause surface cracking over time due to the excessive weight. The patent teaches the use of waterproof paper as backing within the plant-on. Paper has the disadvantage of being flexible and placing the paper about the plant-on, without adhering it to the plant-on, makes it likely that the paper will move away from the plant-on when the masonry materials are applied. The patent further teaches the use of hot glue for adhering the paper backing to the plant-on. This is a potential problem, as the stucco must surround the metal in order to obtain good adherence. In addition, the application of hot glue is time consuming and labor intensive which could impact overall construction costs and completion schedule.
Therefore, what is needed is a low-cost plant-on that requires little to no preparation at the building site other than attachment to the building, is economical in the use of building siding material, and is easily attached to the building by one person.
One object of this invention is to provide a decorative band to a building that is attractive.
A second object of this invention is to provide a decorative band to a building that is inexpensive to manufacture.
A third object of this invention is to provide a decorative band to a building that is simple to install.
A fourth object of this invention is to provide a decorative band to a building that is made of materials that are relatively impervious to water.
A fifth object of this invention is to provide a decorative band to a building that is made of materials that wood-damaging insects will not affect.
A sixth object of this invention is to provide a decorative band to a building that is easily manufactured in varying dimensions and shapes.
A seventh object of this invention is to provide a decorative band that is easily customized.
This invention addresses the limitations described above and provides a plant-on which requires little to no preparation before installation and allows easy customization of raised architectural reliefs on buildings. The term building as used in this specification is used in its broadest sense and refers to both commercial and residential structures.
The plant-on invention is comprised of an elongated top section having a first end, a second end, a reticulated top outer surface, a reticulated top inner surface, a front side and a rear side. The top surface is joined to an elongated front side section having a reticulated front side outer surface, a reticulated front side inner surface, a first top portion and a first bottom portion.
The first bottom portion includes a plurality of front base sections and a plurality of vertically recessed front sections such that a front height of the first bottom portion varies periodically a pre-determined amount along a long dimension of the front side section.
The plant-on invention further includes an elongated rear side section having a reticulated rear side outer surface, a reticulated rear side inner surface, a second top portion joined to the rear side of the top section and a second bottom portion. The second bottom portion includes a plurality of rear base sections and a plurality of vertically recessed rear sections such that a rear height of the second bottom portion varies periodically the pre-determined amount along a long dimension of the rear side section and in concert with the front base sections.
The plant-on invention further includes a plurality of flanges having a vertical height less than the pre-determined amount and joined perpendicularly to at least the front and rear base sections and aligned in a plane generally parallel to the top inner surface. The periodic variations in the heights of the front and rear base sections allows flanges associated with another plant-on to intercalate with the plant-on when aligned in a side-by-side arrangement.
A plurality of attachment clips are disposed periodically along a long dimension of the elongated top, front side and rear side sections which allows the vertically stacking of another plant-on aligned along a centerline of the long dimension, or offset from a centerline of the long dimension. Another set of horizontal attachment clips are disposed on vertical surfaces at about the first and second ends of the plant-on for horizontally connecting another plant-on aligned along a centerline of the long dimension such that each of the connected plant-ons are uniformly aligned in an end-to-end arrangement. The plurality of attachment clips also allows attachment of a wire mesh which covers at least a portion of either front or and rear side sections. The attachment clips are highly scissile and excess or unused attachment clips may be removed before application of a masonry coating or simply left in place.
A plurality of substantially vertical partitions are perpendicularly joined to the inner surfaces of the plant-on and periodically spaced along a long dimension of the elongated top, front side and rear side sections.
The plant-on invention may be constructed from either a composite wood matrix or polymeric materials and in a variety of pre-determined shapes. The profile of the plant-on may include polygon features, elliptical features or any combination of polygon and elliptical features. The reticulated surfaces are generally porous to masonry materials such as cement, plaster, stucco and adobe which allows an interior volume to be at least partially filled with the masonry materials.